Whelan, Elizabeth M. "Perils of prohibition." Newsweek 29 May 1995: 14. MAS Ultra - School Edition. EBSCO. Web. 31 Mar. 2010.
" 18 yr. olds can drive cars. fly planes, marry, vote, pay taxes, take out loans and risk their lives as members of the U.S. armed forces. But laws in all 50 states say that no alcoholic beverages may be sold to anyone until that magic 21st birthday. We didn't always have a national "21" rule"
"American teens, unlike their European peers, don't learn how to drink gradually, safely and in moderation. "
"We should make access to alcohol legal at 18. At the same time, we should come down much harder on alcohol abusers and drunk drivers of all ages. We should intensify our efforts at alcohol education for adolescents. We want them to understand that it is perfectly OK not to drink. But if they do, alcohol shouldbe consumed in moderation. "
"Organizations such as Mothers Against Drunk Driving (MADD) say absolutely not."
"They cite a 13 percent drop in traffic fatalities involving drivers age 18 to 20 since laws setting thedrinkingage at 21 went into effect a generation ago. To them, that makes any consideration of reducing the legal drinkingage dubious."
"About 25 years ago, Congress pushed the states to raise the minimum drinkingage to 21. States that failed to do so would lose 10 percent of their federal highway funding."
"Would an age 18 minimum curb alcohol abuse." USA Today n.d.: MAS Ultra - School Edition. EBSCO. Web. 2 Apr. 2010.
The pro-18 argument goes like this: If 18-year-olds are allowed to vote and serve in the military, they ought to be able to drink. Theage 21 minimum simply undermines respect for the law and prevents young people from learning to drink responsibly at home before they get to college. Once they arrive, the 21 law prevents them from imbibing sociably in restaurants or bars. Instead, students huddle in dorm rooms or fraternity and sorority houses, where they tend to binge on "forbidden fruit" and harm themselves or others.
These arguments are not without merit. The pro-18 case, however, runs aground over the inconvenient truth about highway deaths. In the early 1970s, many states lowered thedrinkingage to 18 to accommodate Vietnam War veterans, but when alcohol-related highway deaths rose, states went back to 21.
Despite the minimum drinkingage of 21, students of all ages imbibe, many to excess. The American Medical Association links drinking to 1,400 deaths, 500,000 injuries and 70,000 sexual assault cases on campuses every year.
Voas, Robert. "There's no benefit to lowering the drinking age." Christian Science Monitor 12 Jan. 2006: 9. MAS Ultra - School Edition. EBSCO. Web. 12 May 2010.
And the minimum 21 law, by itself, has most certainly resulted in fewer accidents, because the decline occurred even when there was little enforcement and tougher penalties had not yet been enacted. According to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, the 21 law has saved 23,733 lives since states began raising drinking ages in 1975
The 21 law is predicated on the fact that drinking is more dangerous for youth because they're still developing mentally and physically, and they lack experience and are more likely to take risks.
An average of 11 American teens die each day from alcohol-related crashes. Underage drinking leads to increased teen pregnancy, violent crime, sexual assault, and huge costs to our communities. Among college students, it leads to 1,700 deaths, 500,000 injuries, 600,000 physical assaults, and 70,000 sexual assaults each year.
Do European countries really have fewer youth drinking problems? No, that's a myth. Compared to American youth, binge drinking rates among young people are higher in every European country except Turkey. Intoxication rates are higher in most countries; in the Britain, Denmark, and Ireland they're more than twice the US level. Intoxication and binge drinking are directly linked to higher levels of alcohol-related problems, such as drinking and driving.
Whelan, Elizabeth M. "Perils of prohibition." Newsweek 29 May 1995: 14. MAS Ultra - School Edition. EBSCO. Web. 31 Mar. 2010.
http://search.ebscohost.com/login.aspx?direct=true&db=nfh&AN=2W63395635143&site=src-live
- "Organizations such as Mothers Against Drunk Driving (MADD) say absolutely not."
- "They cite a 13 percent drop in traffic fatalities involving drivers age 18 to 20 since laws setting the drinking age at 21 went into effect a generation ago. To them, that makes any consideration of reducing the legal drinking age dubious."
- "About 25 years ago, Congress pushed the states to raise the minimum drinking age to 21. States that failed to do so would lose 10 percent of their federal highway funding."
Wright, Jeromehttp://search.ebscohost.com/login.aspx?direct=true&db=ulh&AN=J0E083696172407&site=ehost-live
- "Would an age 18 minimum curb alcohol abuse." USA Today n.d.: MAS Ultra - School Edition. EBSCO. Web. 2 Apr. 2010.
- The pro-18 argument goes like this: If 18-year-olds are allowed to vote and serve in the military, they ought to be able to drink. The age 21 minimum simply undermines respect for the law and prevents young people from learning to drink responsibly at home before they get to college. Once they arrive, the 21 law prevents them from imbibing sociably in restaurants or bars. Instead, students huddle in dorm rooms or fraternity and sorority houses, where they tend to binge on "forbidden fruit" and harm themselves or others.
- These arguments are not without merit. The pro-18 case, however, runs aground over the inconvenient truth about highway deaths. In the early 1970s, many states lowered the drinking age to 18 to accommodate Vietnam War veterans, but when alcohol-related highway deaths rose, states went back to 21.
- Despite the minimum drinking age of 21, students of all ages imbibe, many to excess. The American Medical Association links drinking to 1,400 deaths, 500,000 injuries and 70,000 sexual assault cases on campuses every year.
USA TodayMAS Ultra - School Edition//http://web.ebscohost.com/ehost/detail?vid=4&hid=113&sid=e590f197-c430-4844-98f7-30acddf41ac6%40sessionmgr112&bdata=JnNpdGU9ZWhvc3QtbGl2ZQ%3d%3d#db=ulh&AN=19398593//
Voas, Robert. "There's no benefit to lowering the drinking age." Christian Science Monitor 12 Jan. 2006: 9. MAS Ultra - School Edition. EBSCO. Web. 12 May 2010.
And the minimum 21 law, by itself, has most certainly resulted in fewer accidents, because the decline occurred even when there was little enforcement and tougher penalties had not yet been enacted. According to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, the 21 law has saved 23,733 lives since states began raising drinking ages in 1975
The 21 law is predicated on the fact that drinking is more dangerous for youth because they're still developing mentally and physically, and they lack experience and are more likely to take risks.
An average of 11 American teens die each day from alcohol-related crashes. Underage drinking leads to increased teen pregnancy, violent crime, sexual assault, and huge costs to our communities. Among college students, it leads to 1,700 deaths, 500,000 injuries, 600,000 physical assaults, and 70,000 sexual assaults each year.
Do European countries really have fewer youth drinking problems? No, that's a myth. Compared to American youth, binge drinking rates among young people are higher in every European country except Turkey. Intoxication rates are higher in most countries; in the Britain, Denmark, and Ireland they're more than twice the US level. Intoxication and binge drinking are directly linked to higher levels of alcohol-related problems, such as drinking and driving.